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Articles 1 - 30 of 44
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Implementation Of Ell Professional Development And Teaching Strategies: A School Improvement Plan, Korney Carlson
Implementation Of Ell Professional Development And Teaching Strategies: A School Improvement Plan, Korney Carlson
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
Research findings show that educators who have learned more about ELL instructional strategies provide better instruction to ELL students and will improve their testing scores. Data has shown that many districts are seeing an influx in ELL students. Past studies have also documented that vocabulary development and literacy strategies are key components to guide ELL students to a better education. With research findings in mind, a school improvement plan was created to add professional development opportunities to benefit ELL student achievement. This plan implements a professional development opportunity focused on ELL instructional strategies to assist educators in providing improved instruction …
Maximizing Literacy Instructional Potency In A Classical Education Charter School, Rebecca Thompson
Maximizing Literacy Instructional Potency In A Classical Education Charter School, Rebecca Thompson
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
Variable research spans several decades on how emergent readers should be taught. Literacy experts and governmental reports document evidence-based reading acquisition. Yet, a wide gap remains between the state of research and a professional understanding and application of how teachers should maximize daily literacy instruction in elementary classrooms. Teaching students how to crack the alphabetic code is crucial and forms the foundation for further reading acquisition as students mature. Robust scientific consensus overwhelmingly supports utilizing explicit, systematic phonics instruction in the initial stages of learning to read. Therefore, educators must prioritize strong foundational phonics skills in grades K-2 to help …
Implementation Of Second Chance Reading, Peyton Paddock
Implementation Of Second Chance Reading, Peyton Paddock
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
Students will struggle with reading, and it is harder on them when they have a reading disability. Providing support to these students can be critical in developing their reading comprehension and fluency skills. Second Chance Reading (SCR) is a great method of helping students receive the supports needed. Students with disabilities receive supports and accommodations. However, this does not mean that what they are receiving is what they need to be successful. A student reading faster but struggling to understand is just as bothersome as a student reading slower and struggling to understand. SCR helps students break down their reading …
Improving Reading Skills: A School Improvement Project, Riley Mars
Improving Reading Skills: A School Improvement Project, Riley Mars
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
Reading proficiency in American schools has been a topic of conversation for over a quarter of a century. Although much focus and funding has been put towards this topic, many students are still not able to read proficiently. As students progress through their academic careers, lack of reading proficiency becomes more detrimental and more difficult to remedy. This school improvement plan was created to restructure MTSS in a newly formed upper elementary building serving 4th and 5th grade. This restructuring will clearly define the roles of each Tier, ensure data-based decisions are being made, and support students with research-based interventions.
Increasing Phonemic Awareness Instruction: A School Improvement Plan, Becca Gaffney
Increasing Phonemic Awareness Instruction: A School Improvement Plan, Becca Gaffney
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
Research findings show phonological awareness is one of the most important skills and predictors of future reading success. Studies have also shown the link between phonemic awareness to reading abilities and the lack of pre-service and in-service teacher knowledge of basic language constructs. While looking at the research findings, a school improvement plan was created to include a supplemental phonemic awareness program to increase student knowledge and skills. It also increased teacher knowledge through a training and additional professional developments based on teacher needs. This project will add to previously collected data which compares proficiency in Lambert Elementary students to …
Effective Literacy Differentiated Instruction, Lauren Kahl
Effective Literacy Differentiated Instruction, Lauren Kahl
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
This school improvement plan details the importance of using literacy differentiated instruction within the classroom to instruct the vast array of students’ needs. This plan details different types of differentiated instruction and shares research of the success rates of differentiated instruction across various grade levels. It also highlights key components needed to make differentiation successful within the classroom, as well as obstacles in implementing differentiated instruction. The purpose of this school improvement plan is to display the need for using literacy differentiated instruction to improve students’ literacy rates, as well as to tailor instruction to match students’ individual needs.
Effects Of A Combined Approach To Grammar Instruction In A Foreign Language Classroom, Kristy Eide (Ryan)
Effects Of A Combined Approach To Grammar Instruction In A Foreign Language Classroom, Kristy Eide (Ryan)
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
The purpose of this action research project was to determine the impact of brief, targeted explicit grammar instruction on Spanish I students’ achievement in the acquisition of a foreign language. The research was conducted in the action researcher’s classroom, in a 3A school district in rural Iowa with 88 participants, aged 14-17. Students were split into two groups; one receiving implicit grammar instruction and the other receiving brief, targeted explicit grammar instruction in addition to the implicit grammar instruction. Quantitative data was collected throughout a unit from four main teacher-created summative assessments centered around the four domains of language; baseline …
What Effect Does Phonemic Awareness Have On Young Readers?, Alexis Te Brink
What Effect Does Phonemic Awareness Have On Young Readers?, Alexis Te Brink
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
A School Improvement Plan is an excellent roadmap that consecutively lays down particular interventions that a school will implement. The plan strengthens shared governance by offering an opportunity where the district collaboratively identifies interventions and plans to address priority areas that require improvements. Students who have difficulty learning are subjected to the reading and repetition hypothesis. However, certain approaches and techniques see learners devise ways of embedding context in their guessing worlds, skipping the words they are not familiar with and memorizing phrases and terms. Therefore, teaching phonemic awareness to young children in their early years dispels later challenges related …
Utilizing Technology To Increase Language Understanding For Ell Students, Kristina Signore
Utilizing Technology To Increase Language Understanding For Ell Students, Kristina Signore
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
This action research was driven by the researcher’s interest in using technology to enhance ELL students’ language understanding. Specifically, the researcher was particularly interested in using a class-wide intervention called “Storyworld”. This intervention is technology-based and will be used to help increase English skills including all the language-learning domains: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The researcher is a third grade general-education teacher that has been teaching third grade students for three years. In particular, the population of students within the researcher’s third grade classroom are characterized as English language learners. The intervention, Storyworld, was implemented over a course of 4 …
The Expanding Expression Tool's Impact On Expressive Language In Preschool, Jill Owens
The Expanding Expression Tool's Impact On Expressive Language In Preschool, Jill Owens
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
Action research for this project was selected to meet a need for more effective vocabulary instruction in the researcher's classroom and teaching site. Current literature supports the need for more effective vocabulary instruction in early childhood. The intervention used the Expanding Expression Tool (EET) as an instructional strategy to support expressive language development in the researcher's preschool classroom. Eighteen students in a four-year-old classroom participated in an intervention using explicit instruction during large group, small group, and sharing (show and tell). Standardized and researcher created measures were used to determine significance of the outcomes. Findings showed an increase in expressive …
Effects Of Differentiated Literacy Instruction In A Kindergarten Classroom, Brenda Nagel
Effects Of Differentiated Literacy Instruction In A Kindergarten Classroom, Brenda Nagel
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
The purpose of this action research was to determine if using differentiating literacy in kindergarten led to more successful student achievement. This included implementing multi-sensory learning, learning styles, positive relationships, and relevant, specific data. The researcher is a kindergarten teacher in her 6th year of teaching, where her own students participated in the class-wide intervention. The timeline for conducting this action research was eight weeks. This included the quantitative phonics pre-assessment through FAST (Formative Assessment System for Teachers), implementation of differentiated literacy activities tailored to various learning styles, collection of purposeful and relevant quantitative data, and a post-assessment on literacy …
Effects Of Using Hands-On Materials During Narrative Literacy Activities In The Preschool Classroom, Brittany White
Effects Of Using Hands-On Materials During Narrative Literacy Activities In The Preschool Classroom, Brittany White
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
Hands-on learning has been long studied for its effectiveness in accelerating student outcomes and increasing student engagement. The present study focuses on the use of hands-on, interactive materials during narrative literacy activities for seventeen preschool students in an urban, Midwest city. Through implementation of an intervention involving students manipulating hands-on materials during a large group read aloud, findings indicate 94% of students made growth in the area of story comprehension between pre and post assessment and 64% of students reached proficiency after intervention. Overall, this study improves our awareness of the benefits of using hands-on, interactive activities with preschool students …
Phonemic Awareness And Phonics As An Integral Field To Early Emergent Reading Programs, Lea Kunkel
Phonemic Awareness And Phonics As An Integral Field To Early Emergent Reading Programs, Lea Kunkel
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
The act of learning to read is one which is unnatural to the human brain, causing exponential stress for young learners, students acquiring a new language, or learning disabled. To alleviate the nidus which acquiring the ability to decipher literature may impose, continual research in learning to read has taken place. Research which has aimed to discover the best kept secrets, programs and strategies for helping early to emergent readers succeed. Within the literature review, the benefit of implementing phonemic awareness and phonics into early to emergent reading programs will be discovered. Including, how phonemic awareness and phonics arose in …
Using Physical Activity To Improve Reading Comprehension, Jensen Flanigan
Using Physical Activity To Improve Reading Comprehension, Jensen Flanigan
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
Student reading proficiency lags grade-level expectations in the majority of the United States. Much research has demonstrated the moderating impact of student motivation on reading scores. The purpose of this action research was to study the effects of physical activity on reading motivation and reading comprehension, with a special focus on readers at risk for reading deficiencies as identified by FAST testing. The research was carried out on eighteen third grade students in rural Iowa, seven of whom were at risk for reading deficiency. The use of physical activity had a positive effect on both reading motivation and reading comprehension, …
Phonological Awareness And Phonics, Michelle Erbs
Phonological Awareness And Phonics, Michelle Erbs
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
Research shows that a student's phonics and phonemic awareness skills are learned and practiced through direct instruction with follow up activities. This literature review shows some of the many ways in which teachers could help grow their students' knowledge and deeper understanding of phonics and phonemic awareness. This literature review will spotlight peer reviewed, scholarly journals that were used in order to inform the reader. The results of the many journal findings show that frequent practice of learned phonetic skills will encourage growth of the child’s mind. Direct, explicit instruction followed by activities that include abundant teaching strategies have been …
Comparison Of Play-Based Learning Versus Worksheets In English Language Arts Growth, Erin Wiskus
Comparison Of Play-Based Learning Versus Worksheets In English Language Arts Growth, Erin Wiskus
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
The purpose of this action research is to compare the data of kindergarten student’s growth in ELA (English Language Arts) through the use of play-based learning strategies against students who utilize worksheets as part of their instruction in order to determine if one instructional method is more effective than the other in demonstrating academic growth in English Language Arts. One group of students participated in play-based learning strategies while the other group utilized worksheets as an extension of learning. Both groups were given weekly pretests and posttests in the areas of: letter identification, CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words, digraphs, and …
The Impact Of Station Rotations In 2nd Grade Reading, Rebecca Draayer
The Impact Of Station Rotations In 2nd Grade Reading, Rebecca Draayer
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
Selecting a classroom approach which engages students and prepares them for success can be challenging for teachers. Educators have to take into account resources available for instruction as well as the demographics of their classroom. This action research study followed second grade students over a four-month period in a reading classroom that utilized the station rotation approach of blended learning. The reason for selecting the station rotation model of blended learning was to improve students' reading scores. It was a goal of this action research to see if a more active approach to teaching would help improve student reading skills. …
Technology Instruction In The Classroom: Effects On Struggling Writers' Success, Courtney M. Smith
Technology Instruction In The Classroom: Effects On Struggling Writers' Success, Courtney M. Smith
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
Technology use within the writing classroom for writers who struggle can offer independence and lead to success. This literature review examines the use of technology with struggling writers, the effects of technology use of student engagement, specific strategies used for the implementation of technology, and the professional development opportunities presented to educators for this implementation. The research affirms the benefits of assistive technology within the writing classroom and the importance for the training of educators to properly utilize and engage technology within their classrooms promoting student success and achievement.
Phonics: The Breaking Apart Of Words To Help All Children Learn To Read, Eliza Rogotzke
Phonics: The Breaking Apart Of Words To Help All Children Learn To Read, Eliza Rogotzke
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
This action research project was driven by the researcher’s interest in phonics based instruction to help children learn to read. Specifically, using the PRESS phonics intervention to help meet the needs of each individual learner in the experimental classroom. The researcher, a first grade teacher in her fourth year of teaching, studied her students participation in the PRESS phonics intervention. The four week intervention was conducted using the students’ fluency and early reading skills to analyze the effectiveness of the PRESS phonics intervention. Throughout the four weeks, oral reading fluency along with decodable word fluency was monitored and all progress …
Evidence-Based Best Practices For Kindergarten Reading, Rachel Dolehanty
Evidence-Based Best Practices For Kindergarten Reading, Rachel Dolehanty
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
This literature review aims to highlight evidence-based best practices for kindergarten reading instruction. Popular reading curriculums and instructional cueing strategies are discussed in relation to their effectiveness for kindergarten reading success. Meaning-emphasis versus code- emphasis reading curriculum philosophies are explored, and specific curriculums that fall into these categories are discussed. Metacognition strategies and their relation to successful reading instruction are underscored. Interventions are examined in the areas of kindergarten phonological awareness, phonics, comprehension, and writing. Successful interventions in each of these areas of literacy instruction are highlighted through current research.
Explicit Literacy Instruction Focused On Letter Sounds Vs. Letter Names And Student Educational Growth, Maria O'Dell
Explicit Literacy Instruction Focused On Letter Sounds Vs. Letter Names And Student Educational Growth, Maria O'Dell
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
The purpose of this action research was to investigate the effects of explicit literacy instruction focused on letter sounds and letter names to determine student academic growth. This study was conducted in the researcher’s early childhood class with a group of 20 preschool aged students. Research was conducted over the course of five weeks with students meeting with the researcher a minimum of two times each week. Data was collected using a literacy assessment with sections on letter sounds, uppercase letter names, and lowercase letter names. The researcher concluded that student growth was observed in the control and treatment groups, …
Teaching Early Literacy Skills In Preschool And Future Kindergarten Success, Amanda Wehrhan
Teaching Early Literacy Skills In Preschool And Future Kindergarten Success, Amanda Wehrhan
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
This literature review examines the importance and the effect of literacy on Kindergarten readiness and future school success for early childhood education, specifically on preschool students. Early Childhood Educators are feeling the pressure now more than ever to have their young students prepared to enter Kindergarten. In recent years there has been a shift away from a play-based classroom to more of a focus on academics. In this literature review, various research studies are examined to determine whether or not the real focus of the preschool curriculum should be play or literacy or both.
Blended Learning's Impact On Student Performance And Engagement In A Middle School Language Arts Classroom, Claire Cole
Blended Learning's Impact On Student Performance And Engagement In A Middle School Language Arts Classroom, Claire Cole
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
The purpose of this action research project was to determine if blended learning instructional practices enhance students' understanding of the content being studied and increase student engagement in a 7th grade English language arts classroom. The research questions being studied as a result of these purposes include: Is there a positive correlation between using blended learning techniques with middle school students and students' proficiency of the Iowa Core standards? Does using blended learning methods correlate to increased student engagement? Participants of the study were three sections of 7th grade language arts students from the teacher researcher's school district of rural …
The Formative Assessment Process: Influence And Impact, Tawyne A. Gibson
The Formative Assessment Process: Influence And Impact, Tawyne A. Gibson
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
This action research study investigated how formative data use influences teaching and learning, and what impact the formative process has on student outcomes. The study took place in a first-grade classroom with a group of five students over the course of four weeks. Participants were selected for the study because they scored in the 2nd to 11th percentile rank on the FastBridge Early Reading English assessment. Quantitative data was collected weekly for each of the four weeks using FastBridge Word Segmenting progress monitoring and then compared to baseline data taken before the study. A one-way between subjects ANOVA test was …
Research-Based Early Literacy Interventions Or Teacher-Created Early Literacy, Sonja Carson
Research-Based Early Literacy Interventions Or Teacher-Created Early Literacy, Sonja Carson
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
The purpose of this action research project was to determine if research-based early literacy interventions are more effective than teacher-created early literacy interventions with special education students on letter identification and letter sound recognition. Before the interventions began the students were given the Foundational Skills Survey in Letter Identification and Letter Sound Recognition by Really Great Reading. This score was the baseline for the reported data. For eight weeks the researcher instructed the students using a research-based reading intervention from Really Great Reading's Countdown focused on letter identification and letter sound recognition. This was done in addition to the general …
Dyslexia In Schools, Marcie Sienknecht
Dyslexia In Schools, Marcie Sienknecht
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
Teachers hold high importance in the development of students with dyslexia, especially in the area of beginning reading skills. Early diagnosis and intervention from highly effective teaching professionals plays a critical part in whether or not a student with dyslexia has success in learning to read. Teacher knowledge of dyslexia and a targeted intervention plan are keys to providing students with dyslexia the opportunity to learn and be successful in a variety of aspects: reading, spelling, writing, comprehension, fluency, and any other areas of learning. Students with dyslexia should be able to meet any and all benchmarks through grade level …
Using Kinesthetic Motions And Visuals To Help Promote Sight Word Recognition Through Snap Words, Lisa Charbonneaux
Using Kinesthetic Motions And Visuals To Help Promote Sight Word Recognition Through Snap Words, Lisa Charbonneaux
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
This action research project studied the impact kinesthetic motions and visuals had on sight word recognition in kindergarten students. Over the course of seven weeks, 28 students from two kindergarten classrooms were given sight word instruction. The experimental group included kinesthetic motions and visuals through the use of Snap Word cards with their sight word instruction. The control group received sight word instruction by presenting the sight word without added kinesthetic motions or visuals. The experimental group included 15 students and the control group consisted of 13 students. Students from both the control and experimental groups were given identical pre …
Second Language Acquisition Theories And What It Means For Teacher Instruction, Amanda Friedrichsen
Second Language Acquisition Theories And What It Means For Teacher Instruction, Amanda Friedrichsen
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
The United States has seen a large increase in the number of ELL students in schools nationwide over the past twenty years. This literature review evaluates and compares different second language acquisition theories, teacher practices, learning strategies to help determine what teaching strategies will best help the ELL population close the achievement gap while becoming fluent in the English language. In order to provide each child an equal, high-quality education as required under the ESSA, more teachers need to be trained and well-equipped with the knowledge and tools to effectively teach ELL students in their classrooms. School leaders and stakeholders …
Guided Reading: Effects Of Ability Grouping On Reading Levels And Self-Efficacy, Tearrany Nelson
Guided Reading: Effects Of Ability Grouping On Reading Levels And Self-Efficacy, Tearrany Nelson
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
This action research study investigated the use of ability grouping during guided reading and if ability grouping had an effect on a student's self-efficacy. The study looks at three first grade classrooms during the 2019-2020 school year. Two of the classrooms used cross-classroom ability grouping focusing on student needs and book levels. The third classroom stayed self-contained and had groups of different levels and needs. Data was collected from Oral Running Records (ORR), the FAST assessments for sight words, word segmenting and sentence reading, and a self-efficacy questionnaire. The ORR's provided the students beginning book levels at the beginning of …
Handwriting Without Tears And Its Affect On Lowercase Writing, Cynthia Ungs
Handwriting Without Tears And Its Affect On Lowercase Writing, Cynthia Ungs
Master's Theses & Capstone Projects
The researcher hypothesizes that students with no prior Handwriting Without Tears instruction can transition to lowercase name writing easier than students that have had that instruction. The researcher has studied the handwriting samples based on common handwriting assessment qualities. Writing samples were taken monthly, one from each student. There were 9 students that the researcher received handwriting samples, all of white race. There were 7 boys and 2 girls in the test set. The students that received Handwriting Without Tears used this mixed upper and lowercase writing for some time and had a harder time transitioning to first uppercase and …